“My brother was a free being”

“My brother was a free being”

Tell us about your day on October 13, 2023…

During the morning, I participated in a conference in the west of France with other doctors. As is often the case, my phone was placed on my lap when I saw numerous “news alerts” appear on the screen.

I watched mechanically between two lectures. A pang of anxiety quickly came over me: we were talking about a teacher murdered at Gambetta, my brother’s high school. As his identity had not yet been released and the establishment is huge, I tried to reassure myself. In any case, I couldn’t even reach him since my brother, opposed to screens, didn’t have a cell phone.

I waited until lunch break to contact my sister-in-law. She texted me fifteen minutes later. She didn’t have any news either, but her message surprised me, there was a spelling mistake in my first name. She seemed panicked. And half an hour later, she told me that the murdered professor was indeed Dominique…

How did you react?

I collapsed on a sofa, as if swept away by a tsunami. We always believe that this kind of drama only happens to other people. Then I immediately thought of my mother. Losing your son is… (she can’t finish her sentence) . I didn’t dare call him. Finally, one of her friends, whose grandson studies at Gambetta, warned her.

During this time, two colleagues accompanied me to the station. During the three hours of travel, I answered numerous calls, cousins ​​called me in tears… I still hadn’t shed a tear. I felt like I was in a fog (she keeps touching her engagement ring). It was in Arras that I realized I had lost my big brother.

Were you prepared for the media excitement that this attack caused?

No. Especially since we are a discreet family. Two days after Dominique’s death, I went to the Place des Héros in Arras, where a tribute was being held. When I saw all these people gathered, I understood that this mourning went beyond us, went beyond us alone.

It was then necessary to think as a family to articulate moments in private and moments open to the public. Fortunately, the France-Victimes 62 association was able to serve as a relay between us and the media and political spheres. We refused to express ourselves, to avoid our words being misinterpreted and repeated.

How are you feeling today?

The past year has been difficult, but we must continue to live. My husband, my children, my family support me. But I have had big downturns, like last March 11, a national day dedicated to victims of terrorism. That day, in Arras, my brother received the Legion of Honor posthumously. I entered his establishment for the first time. Going to the scene shook me.

I especially wondered how he got through this attack. Did he realize it? Learning that two teachers stayed with him until the end soothed me. I am always very moved when I enter his office, at his home. I like going there to feel close to him, even if it’s emotional.

What relationship did you have?

We got along well, despite our five years apart and our very different characters. From a young age, he was brilliant at school. I always saw him with a book in his hand. This is not surprising, we were born among books! Our father was a professor of classics and principal of a college, our mother, a teacher.

If Dominique was more intellectual, I, for my part, cultivated more contact with others. I chose the path of medicine, I had to make my place behind him. But we had unforgettable moments together.

One of my best memories goes back to when I was 15. He was 21, he took me with his friends to tour Mont Blanc on foot. For two weeks, we hiked during the day and slept in a tent. A real challenge, I was very proud to have accomplished it. Then we moved into shared accommodation when I started my first year of medicine. He was preparing the aggregation of letters. It was more studious ( she smiles ).

Did he have other passions than literature?

History and heritage fascinated him. As children, we used to visit many cities and museums with our parents; what he perpetuated with his family. He always prepared his visits and acted as a private guide for his daughters. He really liked cathedrals, and I think he would have appreciated seeing the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris…

He also loved the theater. As a student, he played in a troupe in which he was both actor and director, a great time for him! After his death, I saw several of his friends again, with whom I was able to recall good memories.

He taught for over twenty years. Did he like his job?

Yes, a lover of literature, he loved transmitting this love to his students. But he felt more and more helpless to see them more caught up in social networks than in reading. He considered that reading and writing contribute to making us free beings. They bring reflection and perspective. This is precisely what we wanted to extinguish.

Had he ever talked about Mohammed M., the alleged killer, who had been his student?

I don’t know. Not to me, anyway.

During a hearing in February, the latter assured that he had targeted your brother because he believed in the republican system. How did you receive this statement?

I don’t feel ready to dive into education yet. It took me several months to be able to read his name and I can’t look at a photo of him. I’m not at that phase yet. I am already trying to realize, to move forward, to continue to live differently.

I can’t even say if I feel anger, hatred, or even something else… If I should feel anger towards him, it’s for bringing this violence into my family. It was also very painful for my two sons.

But whether there was premeditation or not, it doesn’t change much at the moment. Justice will decide this question.

Your brother’s profession is shaken, even in fear, since the attack against Samuel Paty. Especially since the one that hit your brother. If he were alive today, what do you think he would say to his colleagues?

He would tell them not to give up. The death of Samuel Paty had also worked hard on him. Even though my brother taught French and not history, I don’t think he held back when he tackled certain subjects. I reiterate his will.

We need awareness to be able to allow teachers to teach, in accordance with the values ​​of freedom of expression that we want to transmit. Teachers are one of the keys to this transmission.

Do you receive testimonials from former students?

Yes, students still leave letters on my brother’s grave. They were very marked. Two or three months ago, one of them particularly touched me. That of a young teenager who wrote with her style, her words and her spelling: “We may not always agree but I liked you. The longer the lessons went by, the more you made me love your subject. » This is the greatest gift we can give him, to know that he was able to sow seeds.

His wife, my sister-in-law, is working to set up a “Dominique Bernard” prize, initially open to fourth, third and second year students at Arrageois. Volunteers will be supported in writing workshops to write a short story on the theme of tolerance.

You have decided not to speak out in the media, except in this interview. For what ?

After careful consideration, I thought it was important that it was the family who gave the testimonies, rather than other people speaking for us. During the attack against Samuel Paty, I still remember where I was. When I got home that day, I talked about it a lot with my children, horrified to see that you could kill a teacher in the name of freedom of expression. I can understand how people might have felt when my brother died.

Speaking out today is a way of thanking the people who supported us. This wave of humanity means a lot to us. Many municipalities tell us of their wish to put a plaque in his name, or even to rename a square, a street, a college “Dominique Bernard”. Yes, our family wants to ensure that the values ​​that Dominique held dear can continue.

The biography of Emmanuelle Delatte

  • 1971. Born in Béthune (Pas-de-Calais).
  • 2000. Medical graduate.

The biography of Dominique Bernard

  • 1966. Born in Aire-sur-la-Lys (Pas-de-Calais).
  • 1990. Aggregate of modern letters.
  • 1998. French teacher at the Gambetta high school (Arras).
  • October 13, 2023. Murdered at age 57, at the entrance to his establishment.

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